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The present invention relates generally to methods of testing individuals, and in particular, to an improved method for quickly assessing individual skill levels using a set of specially designed cards.
Skill testing involves presenting one or more tasks to an individual and then assessing his/her ability to perform those tasks. Skills that are frequently tested include academic skills, such as reading, writing, and mathematics, as well as mental and physical skills, such as memorization, manual dexterity, and the like. Skill tests are often administered to identify children that may be experiencing learning problems. Typically, a child experiencing problems is identified at an early age by parents or teachers. The child is then referred to a testing specialist, such as a child psychologist or special education teacher, who administers a screening test to ascertain the child""s mastery of certain pre-academic/academic skills, collectively known as readiness skills. Readiness skills are generally those skills that a child should learn during their first few years in school to insure a healthy educational environment. Readiness skills include, but are not limited to, the ability to recognize and name letters, numbers and shapes, to correctly perform simple comparisons, and in some cases, to form simple words.
Conventional techniques for testing readiness skills include interactive evaluation sessions, where a testing specialist orally presents a series of tasks to the child. In performing readiness skills tests, it is important that the child is not distracted or confused by the format of the test. The purpose of the test is to ascertain the child""s mastery of certain basic concepts and knowledge. Accordingly, interactive testing sessions offer significant advantage over other forms of testing, such as standardized written examinations, because they permit the examiner to adjust the examination to the examinee, thus resulting in a more accurate assessment.
Interactive evaluation sessions frequently involve the use of testing instruments for presenting information, such as chalk boards, easels, pencil-and-paper, or the like.
However, conventional testing instruments present serious limitations when attempting to assess the readiness skills of young children. For example, presenting test information on a chalkboard or easel is not only awkward, but is often confusing and intimidating for some children. Furthermore, chalkboards and easels restrict the child""s ability to handle and manipulate the test instrument. Involvement of the child with test instruments is important because it permits the examiner to observe the child""s reaction and response to test stimuli. Using a simple pencil-and-paper approach to present information can be time-consuming. Moreover, it may not be appropriate for younger children who may not be able to perform using a written format. Accordingly, current techniques for assessing readiness skills are time-consuming and limited when applied to young children.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved method and testing instrument for evaluating pre-academic skills in young children.
It is an advantage of the present invention to provide a method and testing instrument for quickly screening children to determine whether they are at risk for learning difficulties. A further advantage of the invention is that the testing instrument permits an examiner to adaptively present information to young children in an interactive manner that is appropriate for their age-level.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for assessing the readiness skills of a child. The child can be between the ages of three and six years. To assess the child""s skills, a set of specially designed cards is provided. Each card displays one or more predetermined symbols. The cards are displayed to the child according to a pre-defined protocol. As the cards are displayed, a testing specialist asks the child questions about each card and records the child""s responses. The child""s responses are then scored to assess his/her skill level.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a testing kit can include a set of specially designed cards, provided as a testing instrument. The front side of each card displays a letter or number. In addition, the cards are organized into color-coded subsets, which greatly improves the convenience with which the cards may be used. Each subset designates a particular task(s) to be tested. A first subset displays a first group of letters on the front side. At least one of the cards in the first subset displays on its backside a letter from the first group. A second subset of cards displays a second group of letters on the front side, while at least one card of the second subset displays a word on its backside. The word is composed of letters from the second group. A third subset of cards displays various shapes on the backside, and a fourth subset displays columns having various lengths on the backsides. A fifth subset of cards displays a repeated symbol on the backsides. The repeated symbol can appear in various quantities, colors, shapes and sizes.